Gotta hear it!!

For those of you who might not be the biggest country music fans....put your dislike for twangy sound aside and listen to the song below. You won't regret it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh7icqR9zEY

Weighed Down!!!

For those of you who know me, know that weight management has always been a struggle for me. If I set my mind to it, I can lose weight quickly and easily....but am able to gain it back JUST as easily and quickly. I remember feeling a bit awkward, but mostly comfortable wearing a size 12 jeans in high school. Despite a bit of argument with my mother, I remember weighing around 150lbs (68 kilos). Not too terribly overweight for my height.

Then college came, and with it....an abusive relationship and an additional 55lbs (24.9 kilos). If you were to ask me when those pounds were added on....I couldn't even begin to tell you. I was oblivious. It wasn't until I was weighing over 200lbs (91 kilos), recently single, and suddenly aware of my physical limitations that I decided to do something about it. So I joined LA Weight Loss in Oklahoma City and got my weight down to 162lbs (73.5 kilos). A 40lb weight loss...not too bad! I became comfortable with that weight, despite my goal being around 140 (63.5 kilos), and quit going to the consultations.

Soon after, the first of my many trips to Eindhoven took place. Lol....seeing as how riding a bike wasn't my ultimate gift in life, and I wasn't a fan of walking very much....the love of good European cheese, bread, and potatoes settled back around my waist. Senior year of college left me at a solid 185lbs (83.9 kilos). At this point...you may be thinking how unhealthy it is to have such a yo-yo type weight lifestyle. And I agree. But it keeps going.

Living in Eindhoven for a year helped me shed 30lbs without a thought. Before I left, I realized I was down to 152lbs (68.9 kilos), without much of an attempt or even an awareness that I was losing it! I was finally LIVING a healthy lifestyle! No feeling deprived of my favorite foods, paying an organization to tell me what I already know, or feeling the need to force exercise into my daily routine. It all came naturally. I loved it!

Needless to say, I haven't had the same results living in the states. I pretty much gained those 30lbs back and am now back to where I started. So two weeks ago, another lady from church and myself joined Weight Watchers to get the weight off for good! I have a more realistic goal set for myself and hope to not only accomplish that goal...but stay at it, as well! I'm going to attempt to update on here every once in a while to keep myself accountable. We are beginning week 3 today, and I will go to a meeting after work and weigh in. I lost 6.2lbs (2.8 kilos) at my first weigh in, and hope to have lost another 5lbs (2.3 kilos) at today's meeting. I'll let you know!!

Here are some "before and after" pics of my time in Eindhoven. The left is the second week I moved to Eindhoven (June 06), and the right one is a couple weeks before I left for Eindhoven (March 07).